the worst thing you can do. It feels like work but is in fact
destructive to the real work of realizing your dream.
So what do you do? Stop talking and start doing. Don’t
dream of being a writer—begin writing. Don’t dream of
being an activist—go start something. Don’t dream of being
an entrepreneur—launch something.
I recently caught up with Jonathan. He started that
publishing company and ran it for several years, but as life
moved on, his passion steered him in a new direction. So he
ended the business and started something else, and as it
turns out, the publishing company was just one more step in
the journey. Had he never begun, he would never have
ended up where he is today. The point isn’t that he
succeeded. He would say he didn’t, not with the publishing
company anyway. The point is he tried. He didn’t stay stuck
in the dream and instead adopted an attitude of doing.
Anything less than such proactivity is a cheap imitation of
the life you were meant to live. It’s stalling. Instead of
letting it stop you in your tracks, why not do what Jonathan
did and pivot in a new direction? You might be surprised by
the opportunities that present themselves.
The Hidden Message of
Failure